Hwan Ung, a god, came down from heaven to rule the universe. Right after he came down, a tiger and a bear both wanted to become humans. Hwan Ung thought about it. He then said that they will become humans only after they stayed in a cave, eating nothing but garlic, for a certain number of days. Only one of them stayed. The other could not resist, and went away. Can you guess who stayed and who didn't? If you think the bear stayed, you are right. The tiger couldn't stand living in a cave, and eating only garlic. He went. The bear, however stayed and became a women. After that, she wanted to become pregnant, so she prayed and prayed. Hwa Ung saw that she wanted to become pregnant, and so he became a man, came down to earth, and married her. They had a baby, Dan Gun, who was the father of Korea.
That is the legend. Do you like it? :)
Hiya! I thought you'd like to know the history of Korea and it's language. Okay, okay. You don't want to chat any longer. Here is the "history".
There are many theories of how the Korean started. Some scholars say that the language started in Central Asia. Other scholars say that Korea is related to some languages of the South Pacific, another region. A lot of linguists disagree on where Korean originated, but a lot of them are thinking around Central Asia. Where do you think Korean originated?
Well, that was the history of the language. How about the history of the speakers of Korean? Kyong (my mom) wrote this down and I think that you will all enjoy reading it. Here it is.
Earliest kingdom Gojosun was founded in northern Korea and Manchuria in 2333 BC, followed by fall and rise of many small kingdoms. From 57 BC 668 AD, Goguryo, Baekje and Shilla (called "Three Kindoms") controlled the Korean pennisula and Manchuria, until Shilla unified the pennisula in 698. In the late 9th century, Shilla was again divided into three different kingdoms (892–936), which ended with the unification by Goryeo Dynasty. During the Goryo Dynasty, the rules of law were established and its culture was influenced by Buddhism. In 1392, Goryo was succeeded by Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), the longest dynasty in Korean history. One of the great kings of Joseon Dynasty was King Sejong the Great (1418–1450). He is best known for inventing the Korean alphabet, known as Hangul. From the late 16th century, the Joseon dynasty faced foreign invasions and internal power struggle and it declined rapidly in the late 19th century. In 1897, the Korean Empire (1897–1910) succeeded the Joseon Dynasty. In 1910, Korea fell under Japanese rule and remained a colony until 1945 at the end of World War II. After the liberation in 1945, the Korea was separated into two states of North and South Korea. However, in 1950, the North Korea invaded South Korea and the two sides fought for 3 years in a conflict known as the Korean War. The 38th parallel still divides the two countries.
Wow, such an interesting story! But have you ever wondered if Korean is spoken anywhere else? That's not in Korea? Well, Korean is only spoken in North and South Korea, but there are lots of Koreans, like me, who live in other countries and continents. There are also people who aren't Korean, but they still speak it, like many linguists. Okay, we have discussed the history of the language and the history, but is Korean an old language? Do the youth still speak it? The answer is. . . . Of course! Why would I be speaking it, then?
That is the legend. Do you like it? :)
HISTORY
Hiya! I thought you'd like to know the history of Korea and it's language. Okay, okay. You don't want to chat any longer. Here is the "history".
There are many theories of how the Korean started. Some scholars say that the language started in Central Asia. Other scholars say that Korea is related to some languages of the South Pacific, another region. A lot of linguists disagree on where Korean originated, but a lot of them are thinking around Central Asia. Where do you think Korean originated?
Well, that was the history of the language. How about the history of the speakers of Korean? Kyong (my mom) wrote this down and I think that you will all enjoy reading it. Here it is.
Earliest kingdom Gojosun was founded in northern Korea and Manchuria in 2333 BC, followed by fall and rise of many small kingdoms. From 57 BC 668 AD, Goguryo, Baekje and Shilla (called "Three Kindoms") controlled the Korean pennisula and Manchuria, until Shilla unified the pennisula in 698. In the late 9th century, Shilla was again divided into three different kingdoms (892–936), which ended with the unification by Goryeo Dynasty. During the Goryo Dynasty, the rules of law were established and its culture was influenced by Buddhism. In 1392, Goryo was succeeded by Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), the longest dynasty in Korean history. One of the great kings of Joseon Dynasty was King Sejong the Great (1418–1450). He is best known for inventing the Korean alphabet, known as Hangul. From the late 16th century, the Joseon dynasty faced foreign invasions and internal power struggle and it declined rapidly in the late 19th century. In 1897, the Korean Empire (1897–1910) succeeded the Joseon Dynasty. In 1910, Korea fell under Japanese rule and remained a colony until 1945 at the end of World War II. After the liberation in 1945, the Korea was separated into two states of North and South Korea. However, in 1950, the North Korea invaded South Korea and the two sides fought for 3 years in a conflict known as the Korean War. The 38th parallel still divides the two countries.
Wow, such an interesting story! But have you ever wondered if Korean is spoken anywhere else? That's not in Korea? Well, Korean is only spoken in North and South Korea, but there are lots of Koreans, like me, who live in other countries and continents. There are also people who aren't Korean, but they still speak it, like many linguists. Okay, we have discussed the history of the language and the history, but is Korean an old language? Do the youth still speak it? The answer is. . . . Of course! Why would I be speaking it, then?
I am a librarian in Virginia, and I found this blog extremely interesting for young readers. I especially loved the legend.
ReplyDeleteI loved it too!
ReplyDeleteI hated it! It stunk!
ReplyDeleteNo, it's amazing and fantastic! Best blog ever!
ReplyDeleteYou go girl!
ReplyDelete